Monday morning June 13

Preparation

Opening response

Lord, open our lipsand our mouth will proclaim your praise.

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, Sovereign God, creator of all,to you be glory and praise forever.You founded the earth in the beginningand the heavens are the work of your hands.In the fullness of time you made us in your image,and in these last days you have spoken to usin your Son Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh.As we rejoice in the gift of your presence among uslet the light of your love always shine in our hearts,your Spirit ever renew our livesand your praises ever be on our lips.Blessed be God: Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

Who Is This Gigantic Foe

Charles Wesley

Who is this gigantic foe,That proudly stalks along,Overlooks the crowd below,In brazen armor strong?Loudly of his strength he boasts;On his sword and spear relies;Meets the God of Israel’s hosts,And all their force defies.

Tallest of the earth-born race,They tremble at his power;Flee before the monster’s face,And own him conqueror.Who this mighty champion is,Nature answers from within,He is my own wickedness,My own besetting sin.

In the strength of Jesus’ name,I with the monster fight;Feeble and unarmed I am,But Jesus is my might;Mindful of his mercies past,I trust the same to prove;Still my helpless soul I castOn his redeeming love.

From the bear and lion’s paws,He hath delivered me;He will still maintain my cause,And still my helper be;God in my defense shall stand,Jesus on my side I have;From the proud Goliath’s handHe now my soul shall save.

With my sling and stone I goTo fight the Philistine;God hath said it shall be so,And I shall conquer sin;On his promise I rely,My trust is in the Lord,Sure to win the victory,For he hath spoke the word.

In the strength of God I rise,I run to meet my foe;Faith the word of power applies,And lays the giant low;Faith in Jesus’ conquering name,Slings the sin-destroying stone;Points the word’s unerring aim,And brings the monster down.

Rise, ye men of Israel, rise!Your rooted foe pursue;Shout his praises to the skies,Who conquers sin for you;Jesus doth for you appear,He his conquering grace affords;Saves you, not with sword and spear,The battle is the Lord’s.

Every day the Lord of hosts,His mighty power displays;Stills the proud Philistine’s boast,The threatening Gittite slays;Israel’s God, let all belowConqueror over sin proclaim,O that all the earth might know,The power of Jesus’ name!

Confession of sin

Come, Holy Spirit of God,and search our hearts with the light of Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ said:The first commandment is this:‘Israel, listen! Our God is the one Lord, and you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your being, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’

The second is this: ‘You must love your neighbor as yourself.’No other commandment is greater than these.All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commandments.

Amen. Lord, have mercy.

After a period of reflection

Come, let us return to the Lord and say:

Lord our God,in our sin we have avoided your call.Our love for you is like a morning cloud,like the dew that goes away early.Have mercy on us;deliver us from judgment;bind up our wounds and revive us;in Jesus Christ our Lord.Amen.

cf Hosea 6

May almighty God,who sent his Son into the world to save sinners,bring us his pardon and peace, now and forever.Amen.

The Word of God

Psalm 71

Refrain:Don’t be far from me, God!

I’ve taken refuge in you, Lord. Don’t let me ever be put to shame!Deliver me and rescue me by your righteousness! Bend your ear toward me and save me!Be my rock of refuge where I can always escape.You commanded that my life be saved because you are my rock and my fortress.My God, rescue me from the power of the wicked; rescue me from the grip of the wrongdoer and the oppressor because you are my hope, Lord. You, Lord, are the one I’ve trusted since childhood.I’ve depended on you from birth— you cut the cord when I came from my mother’s womb. My praise is always about you.I’ve become an example to many people because you are my strong refuge.My mouth is filled with your praise, glorifying you all day long.Don’t cast me off in old age. Don’t abandon me when my strength is used up!Yes, my enemies have been talking about me; those who stalk me plot together: “God has abandoned him! Pursue him! Grab him because no one will deliver him!”Don’t be far from me, God! My God, hurry to help me!Let my accusers be put to shame, completely finished off! Let those who seek my downfall be dressed in insults and disgrace!But me? I will hope. Always. I will add to all your praise.My mouth will repeat your righteous acts and your saving deeds all day long. I don’t even know how many of those there are!I will dwell on your mighty acts, my Lord. Lord, I will help others remember nothing but your righteous deeds.You’ve taught me since my youth, God, and I’m still proclaiming your wondrous deeds!So, even in my old age with gray hair, don’t abandon me, God! Not until I tell generations about your mighty arm, tell all who are yet to come about your strength, and about your ultimate righteousness, God, because you’ve done awesome things!Who can compare to you, God?You, who have shown me many troubles and calamities, will revive me once more. From the depths of the earth, you will raise me up one more time.Please increase my honor and comfort me all around.Then I’ll give you thanks with a harp— I will thank you for your faithfulness, my God. I will make music for you with the lyre, holy one of Israel.My lips will rejoice aloud when I make music for you; my whole being, which you saved, will do the same.My tongue, also, will tell of your righteousness all day long, because those who seek my downfall have been put to shame and disgraced.

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Don’t be far from me, God!

Psalm prayer

Faithful Lord, living Savior,in youth and old age,from the womb to the grave,may we know your protectionand proclaim your great salvationto the glory of God the Father.

Old Testament readingJudges 8:22-35

Then the Israelites said to Gideon, “Rule over us, you and then your son and then your grandson, because you’ve rescued us from Midian’s power.”

Gideon replied to them, “I’m not the one who will rule over you, and my son won’t rule over you either. The Lord rules over you.” But Gideon said to them, “May I make one request of you? Everyone give me the earrings from their loot”; the Midianites had worn gold earrings because they were Ishmaelites.

“We’ll gladly give them,” they replied. And they spread out a piece of cloth, and everyone pitched in the earrings from their loot. The weight of the gold earrings that he requested was one thousand seven hundred shekels of gold, not counting the crescents, the pendants, and the purple robes worn by the Midianite kings, or the collars that were on their camels’ necks. Gideon fashioned a priestly vest out of it, and put it in his hometown of Ophrah. All Israel became unfaithful there because of it, and it became a trap for Gideon and his household.

So Midian was brought down before the Israelites and no longer raised its head. The land was peaceful for forty years during Gideon’s time.

Jerubbaal, Joash’s son, went home to live with his own household. Gideon had seventy sons of his own because he had many wives. His secondary wife who was in Shechem also bore him a son, and he named him Abimelech. Gideon, Joash’s son, died at a good old age and was buried in the tomb of his father Joash in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.

Right after Gideon died, the Israelites once again acted unfaithfully by worshipping the Baals, setting up Baal-berith as their god. The people of Israel didn’t remember the Lord their God, who had delivered them from the power of all their enemies on every side. Nor did they act loyally toward the household of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, in return for all the good that he had done on Israel’s behalf.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament readingLuke 15:1-10

All the tax collectors and sinners were gathering around Jesus to listen to him. The Pharisees and legal experts were grumbling, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.”

Jesus told them this parable: “Suppose someone among you had one hundred sheep and lost one of them. Wouldn’t he leave the other ninety-nine in the pasture and search for the lost one until he finds it? And when he finds it, he is thrilled and places it on his shoulders. When he arrives home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost sheep.’ In the same way, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who changes both heart and life than over ninety-nine righteous people who have no need to change their hearts and lives.

“Or what woman, if she owns ten silver coins and loses one of them, won’t light a lamp and sweep the house, searching her home carefully until she finds it? When she finds it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, ‘Celebrate with me because I’ve found my lost coin.’ In the same way, I tell you, joy breaks out in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who changes both heart and life.”

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain:You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:You have raised up a mighty savior for us in your servant David’s house.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers are offeredfor the day and its tasksfor the world and its needsfor the Church and her life

Response

Lord, in your mercyhear our prayer.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty God,you have broken the tyranny of sinand have sent the Spirit of your Son into our hearts whereby we call you Father:give us grace to dedicate our freedom to your service,that we and all creation may be brought to the glorious liberty of the children of God;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

As our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.

Conclusion

The Lord bless us, and preserve us from all evil, and keep us in eternal life.Amen.